Snowfall in higher reaches of Kashmir

The higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall and the plains were lashed by rains today, even as the minimum temperature across the Valley stayed above the freezing point.

An official of the Meteorological Department said five inches of fresh snowfall was recorded in Gulmarg, the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir, where the temperature dipped below the freezing point.

He said Pahalgam in south Kashmir also recorded light snowfall and there were reports of snowfall in many other areas in the higher reaches of the valley.The official said the plains in Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar, were lashed by rains.

Meanwhile, except Gulmarg, the minimum temperature across the valley settled above the freezing point.

Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of 1.7 degrees Celsius, while 

Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, in south Kashmir registered a low of 2 degrees Celsius, the official



said.

He said the night temperature in Kokernag, in south Kashmir, settled at 1.9 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara town in north recorded the minimum of 1.3 degrees Celsius.The health resort of Pahalgam, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of 0.6 degree Celsius last night, the official said.

He said Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 5 degrees Celsius and was the coldest recorded place in the valley and the second coldest in Jammu and Kashmir, colder even than Kargil in Ladakh region.

Kargil recorded a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius, while the nearby Leh town was the coldest recorded place in the state at minus 7.8 degrees Celsius.

'Chillai-Kalan', the 40-day harshest winter period in Kashmir, ended yesterday, but the cold continued in the valley.'Chillai-Kalan' is followed by a 20-day long 'Chillai- Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day long 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).